Galaxy 4R was a
communications satellite operated by
PanAmSat from 2000 to 2006, and by
Intelsat
Intelsat S.A. (formerly INTEL-SAT, INTELSAT, Intelsat) is a multinational satellite services provider with corporate headquarters in Luxembourg and administrative headquarters in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States. Originally formed as In ...
from 2006 to 2009. It spent most of its operational life at an orbital location of 99° W, a slot once occupied by the
Galaxy IV, which suffered a failure in 1998. G4R was launched on April 18, 2000, with an
Ariane
Ariane may refer to:
*Ariana (name), also Ariane, Arianne
Arts
* ''Ariane'' (Martinů), an opera by Bohuslav Martinů, first performed 1961
* ''Ariane'' (Massenet), an opera by Jules Massenet, first performed 1906
* ''Ariane'' (film), a 1931 ...
launch vehicle, and covered
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
with twenty-four transponders each on the
C- and
Ku bands. The satellite is currently at 76.8°W, inclined.
Users included
Warner Brothers,
National Public Radio,
Public Radio International
Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States.
PRI was one of the main providers of programm ...
,
Buena Vista Television Distribution,
FOX
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
, and
Televisa. The satellite was also utilized for
satellite internet services through
DirecPC.
Much of the K
u side was occupied by the
HITS
Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
* ''H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block
* ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998
* ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014 - a British compilation album se ...
service, which re-distributes programming found on other satellites to cable providers.
Designed for an operational lifespan of 15 years, Galaxy 4R suffered a propulsion system failure in 2003 and was replaced by
Galaxy 16
A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, dark matter, bound together by gravity. The word is derived from the Greek ' (), literally 'milky', a reference to the Milky Way galaxy that contains the Solar System ...
on August 14, 2006.
It was moved to 76.85 degrees west after being replaced and its orbit was allowed to become more inclined in order to save station-keeping propellant. The satellite was decommissioned in April 2009 and moved to a
graveyard orbit.
References
External links
*
Satellites using the BSS-601 bus
Communications satellites in geostationary orbit
Spacecraft launched in 2000
Spacecraft decommissioned in 2009
Derelict satellites orbiting Earth
{{communications-satellite-stub